What Makes a Family
by ejm12
Summary: His father left when he was 10 unaware of the baby. Spencer Reid's baby sister is the most important thing in his life. But up until now, most of the team has been left in the dark. When they discover Reid's secret, can they show to their youngest member that he is one of them and that they love him and he doesn't have to hide. Reid centric, no pairings, friend fluff


**AN: Welcome! I haven't written in years and this one just bowled me over like a freight train.** **This is not an OC based** **fic, instead more of an exploration of how a tiny change can effect a characters personality. Any OOC from Reid (Which hopefully isn't too much) is all stuff I think more serious responsibility of raising a child would have made him to be as a person. Yes, there is and OC, however she is more a side character, taking a backseat to her brother, whom we all love.**

 **This is a OneShot and I have no intentions of making it into a multi chapter, however I do have some vague ideas about some further OneShot sequels. Possibly one about William Reid, and one about Maeve, but currently undecided if they will happen or not.**

 **Also, I do not own CM.**

He didn't know why he didn't just tell his coworkers about his sister from the get go. It wasn't as if it was a secret. It really wasn't.

Even if the others would argue that he was treating her as if she was such. Plus, being open from the start would have been simpler. But, he didn't. For no apparent reason, he didn't. It seemed he was always making life more difficult for himself.

Spencer supposed that it was just habit. A habit that had been developed from a childhood of intense fear of CPS, and a very real reality of knowing that if anyone found out about how bad it was at home, she would be taken away. And to spencer, with his dad long gone and mother in and out of reality, his baby sister was his entire world. Losing her in that way would be the end of time itself, and he would never recover.

People had always remarked at how mature he was while he was growing up. People would say that they were shocked by how responsible and sensible the young boy was. Spencer knew that most people chalked it up to the fact that he had an IQ of 187 and had graduated high school at age 12. Then attending college with people twice his age definitely helped with maturity. However, the truth was a bit more intense.

The earliest years of Spencer's life had been, if not picture perfect, had at least been happy. He had always known that his mother was sick, but it hadn't seemed to be a big deal when he was small. Her sickness wasn't a severe disability yet, and she was good about taking her meds. It wasn't until he was about 6 that spencer started to notice a slight decline in her health. But it was extremely gradual. In fact, it was so gradual that the small happy child may not have noticed it at all, except, that's when the arguing started.

His father had always been kind of distant. Spencer knew that his dad loved him, but it was hard for the man to show it. His father worked a lot and was disappointed that his son had almost zero interest in things that he had hoped his son would be interested in, things he considered normal boy things, like sports. But even though he knew that his dad didn't understand him, spencer always knew that he was loved. That was the reason that his dad's sudden departure was so earth shattering.

As an adult looking back, he could see the warning signs. His dad had started staying later and later at work. The arguments between his parents had grown more and more frequent. His mother had slowly begun to decline in her mental health, with her delusions becoming more frequent and more vivid, which in turn led to more fighting. Spencer very rarely saw his dad.

It was at age 10 that the situation blew up. His dad finally had decided he had dealt with enough of his wife's antics. Spencer could remember listening to the final argument through his parents closed door. He hadn't fully understood it, but he heard every word.

"So that's it then?! You're just going to up and leave us?" His mother's angry voice echoed through the house. Spencer had debated about just hiding in his room to avoid the fight, but the idea of his dad just walking out on him and his mom was so terrifying he had to follow and listen.

"I've told you again and again Diana! You have to take your medicine! If you refuse to take it then I can't help you anymore. I'm tired of this constant fight, your not getting better, the disease is only getting worse and if you refuse to even try to help yourself then I'm not going to stay to watch it."

There was a moment of silence. Then a quiet but firm answer from his mother. "No William! I can't, I won't. It's poison. They are trying to kill me." That was a more common delusion of hers, that someone was trying to poison her.

There was a frustrated snarl and the sound of things being slammed around. He listened intently And spencer felt his heart drop out of chest at his father's next words. "That's your decision then. I wish you the best of luck."

"You're a coward, you're weak." Were his mother's parting words.

And spencer knew that was the end. As William Reid blew past his only son without even a backwards glance, Spencer wondered if he would ever see him again.

It had been 2 weeks later that spencer had discovered the real reason that his mother had gone off her meds.

He had come home from school only to find his mom on the floor of the bathroom crying. The 10 year old had been frightened. In all of her delusions his mom had never cried. Yelled? Yes. Threw things? Yes. Locked herself in a room and refused to come out for anything? Yes. But cried? Never.

When he nervously questioned her about whether she had remembered to take her medication that morning, he had been startled to find that she wasn't in the middle of a schizophrenic episode. Instead, she had been quite lucid. She had looked her son in the face. She wiped away her tears and pulled herself up, looking her son straight in the eyes, knowing that he was a smart responsible boy. She had Taken a deep breath and informed him that in a few months he was going to be a big brother. And that it was going to be a hard few months because her medicine was bad for the baby so she wasn't taking it. And the medical bills were going to expensive. And now the only income was going to be her disability. There were several other things she said lthat were frightening to the 10 year old. It was so overwhelming that spencer wasn't sure what to make of it all at first.

He was terrified to be sure. But he was also excited. The idea of a sibling was something he had always dreamed of, and now he was actually going to get it. But in his dream, both parents had always been happy and involved. And he knew that that just wasn't possible. Not anymore. Which meant he was going to have to grow up fast. This frightened him, but he had no choice. But, even with the horrible circumstances, he had always dreamed of a sibling and now he was getting one whether he wanted one or not. He might as well be excited about it.

But spencer hadn't skipped 6 grades for nothing. He knew how much work a baby was going to be. Maybe not practically, he didn't know the specifics. He didn't know about the midnight feedings or the endless crying or the explosive poopy diapers, But he knew that babies equalled work. But he was determined to make the best of it, so a few days after discovering his impending brotherhood. The newly inspired 10 year old had marched himself down to the local library, where he was a common fixture, and had checked out a massive stack of informational and instructional books on pregnancy and infants. The librarian, who knew spencer and his quirks, had just laughed and mentioned something about his new hobby and asked if he planned to be an OBGYN.

The next few months had actually gone smoother than he had originally feared that they might go. His mother had been more level headed than he could have ever asked for and the doctor said the the baby was healthy. Spencer had devoured everything that he could lay his hands on when it came to child rearing. Because even though his mother had been alright most of the time, she was still a somewhat unstable mentally challenged woman who was off her medications.

There where a few times that Spencer had been in so far over his head and frightened, not knowing what to do. A few of those times he had even tried to contact his father. He knew the number to his work. But he was always redirected to a voicemail. And while he did always leave a message, he never mentioned the baby. As selfish as it was, Spencer was terrified that his father would come back only to take the baby and leave again. And somewhere in the depths of his heart he was hoping that his father would come back-for him.

But he didn't. His father never even returned the calls. He began to wonder if his father ever even got the messages.

But time passed. Spencer grew up far faster than he would have, even if it was just him and his mom. Because now there were 3 of them.

The baby came over summer break. She was pink and chubby and healthy. Her name was Elizabeth. Though, spencer liked to call her Eliza, or Liza. An older, more traditional shortening of the name. It was Hebrew, meaning "God is my oath." His mother said it was a queenly name, and spencer agreed. He loved her so much. She was his world. And while he flew through high school, graduating at age 12, he found that his first priority was always his baby sister.

After Liza was born, their mom had returned to her medications, but the damage had been done. Going off the meds twice had taken their toll. She was still a fantastic mom. Especially when she was all together. She would read to them, cook them dinner, and was fairly competent at remembering to take good care of the infant/toddler. But there were also the times when she wasn't. Many times spencer had to remind his mother to eat, many times she still wouldn't. More than once, spencer had come home from school to find that his mother had locked herself in a room, leaving Liza to fend for herself. But these episodes were scattered, and they did ok for a few years.

Spencer chose to attend the local university over some of his first choices which would require him to move, that way he could be at home to take care of mom and Liza. The local university had been over the moon and had given him a full ride scholarship, which definitely helped with the expenses. And he could be at home a lot more often. After all, Liza was most important.

Since spencer was so so much younger than anyone else in the entire college, he never made very good friends or connections there. Instead, he found himself running home, not only at night, but also in between classes just to check on his sister. And over the years, as their moms conditioned worsened, the two Reid children found themselves becoming the best of friends. They were all eachother had.

But their mother was getting worse. And Spencer knew that it was only a matter of time before she would need to be institutionalized. Even the thought of putting his mother away made his heart break. He loved his mother, and it hurt to see the person that her disease had made her to be.

However, he also knew that if his mother was put into a hospital, the government would take both him and his sister. They would both be put in foster care. And he knew the statistics. They would be separated. Probably never to be reunited, and the damage done just might be permanent. This was Spencer's worst nightmare. And they had a few close calls over the years. An overly nosy neighbor had been hard to throw off, and a concerned high school science teacher had started to asked a few too many questions for Spencer's comfort. But somehow, by some miracle, they had made it through.

Spencer had been extremely relieved when Liza turned 4, making him 15, and he was able to get her enrolled in school. She was extremely smart. He wasn't sure if it was because she had the same genetics as him or if it was a side effect of practically being raised by a genius. But either way, the kindergarten had her tested and accepted her in. He was also grateful that this had all occurred while his mom was having an especially good month. She had happily signed all the paperwork allowing her daughter to start school and had signed a form saying that spencer was allowed all access to picking up and receiving information about her.

It was when he turned 18 that things drastically changed. He knew that the time had come, his mother needed to be hospitalized. She had gotten to the point where she really needed to have someone taking care of her round the clock. And spencer could not, and would not fulfill that role anymore. He was wearing too many hats, he had to take one off.

He had come to a shocking and heart wrenching realization a few months before, when he had come home from class, after being harassed by a representative from a masters program at a university that was located several states away, that he desperately wanted to attend, only to find his mother, in a fit of hysterical panic, destroying the house. Eliza, who had barely turned 7, was crying for him and had been locked in a closet, and had been there for who knows how long.

In a fit of anger that was extremely uncharacteristic of him, he had scooped up Eliza holding her close as she clung desperately to his neck letting out gasping sobs, he had shouted at his mother. How could she treat her own child that way? But of course, in her delusion she had only screamed right back at him. Saying that she was keeping them safe. She had then gone on some rambling rant that he hadn't bothered to listen to. He had reigned in his temper, told his mother that he was taking Liza out to get a burger, grabbed his bag and marched out the door.

As they had sat on a bench in the local park. Eliza's horrible day was forgotten as she munched on her fries and milkshake and babbled about different types of birds she had been reading about. He had apologized to his baby sister, wishing more than ever that he had been home to help reign in the madness. But she, the ever forgiving and understanding child, had waved it off saying that he had school, and school was important too. That had pushed him deep into thought. He already felt bad about yelling at his mother, he knew she couldn't help her sickness, and she was being the best mother she possibly could be. And he felt horrible about knowing he had to put her away, wishing there was some other way.

But as he pushed Eliza on the swings he came to the realization that changed his perspective on the situation, a realization that changed his mindset and possibly banished any lingering regret that would have followed him for years to come. He was only 1 person. No matter how smart he was, there was only so much that he could do. There was no way that he could take care of his mother and raise his sister and do all the things that he wanted to do for himself. He had to choose.

He had laid in bed that night and cried himself to sleep. But when he woke up, his choice had been made. There was no turning back. He would not second guess himself.

He would lovingly put their mom into the nicest institution that he could find. With his gambling prowess, money was no object. He would write her and call her and visit every chance he could, but he would not look back, and he would not spend a moment of his life regretting that choice. Because if she was somewhere else, then Liza could have at least a partial childhood.

It had taken every single braincell he possessed, and every ounce of IQ to convince the judge to give him custody. Looking back, he would recognize with a laugh that his encounter with gaining guardianship of Elizabeth Reid was the first time he had used profiling skills, even if he hadn't yet heard of profiling and wouldn't for several years yet.

He had spent months reading up on and studying custody cases and laws. He had a job that paid decently. He had a house that had been paid off by his father before he was born, and had already established a babysitter and routine for his sister. He was as prepared as he ever could be. Then just for good measure he had studied the judge and his case history, which turned out to be the smartest thing he could have made.

The day of court was the most stressful of his life. But he had come out triumphant. with a few inspired and well timed comments, gaining guardianship was in the bag.

The next few years had Spencer and Liza moving. Spencer had finally decided to be a little bit selfish. He desperately wanted to attend MIT. Of course he had gotten in without incident, and so, with a bit of crying on Eliza's part and even more crying on the part of their mom, they had packed up, sold the house, and made their way into their new life.

It was while he was finishing up his masters in psychology that he met Jason Gideon. Eliza had just turned 11, and he was 22 and looking for something more. While he enjoyed his current job in chemistry research, he knew he was meant for bigger and better things, and he had found his calling in the FBI.

The move to Quantico was hard on Eliza, but they had settled into their new routine pretty quickly. Spencer loved his new job, his coworkers were great, possibly the best friends he had ever had. Eliza found some good friends and was enjoying her new school and quickly became involved in music and dance. Everything had seemed to fall into place like magic.

He wasn't sure why he had hadn't just told his coworkers about his sister from the moment he started. It wasn't a secret. Not really.

Probably the same reason he had never mentioned her to anyone else before, not any professors, or any of the other researchers he had worked with. It was too risky, even though he had full custody granted by the courts, he still carried an irrational fear of some government agency coming in, declaring him an unfit guardian and ripping her away to live with strangers. Or maybe it was the same reason he never mentioned his mother. It brought up too many questions. Awkward, hard questions that he really wasn't prepared to answer just yet. After all, what 23 year old has full custody of his 12 year old sister?

Working with a team of professionally trained profilers, he should have known that they would find out eventually. But the funny part of it was, none of them profiled it or deduced it from his behavior. It had to be literally in front of their faces for them to believe it.

Well, maybe Gideon had profiled it, but he was private and understanding enough to never bring it up. He also knew Reid the best out of anyone on the team.

And of course Hotch knew. He was his boss and had full access to his file, And it was required that all dependents and household members be listed. It had been brought up in an extremely intense discussion during one of his entrance interviews with Hotch before being allowed into the BAU. Spencer had been shocked to find that Hotch had been both incredibly concerned and understanding. He had been forced to tell the whole story of gaining guardianship. And then had to reassure his future boss that he had already considered the amount of traveling required for this job, and he had taken care of arrangements for Liza while he was gone.

The interview had ended well, said and as he stood and shook hands with his new boss, Hotch had said quietly. "Agent Reid, I want you to know that I am very impressed with you, especially with your story about your sister and everything you're doing to make sure she is happy and living a secure life. I want you to know that if you ever need anything, and I do mean anything, personally or with your sister, I am more than willing to do anything I can to help."

The sincerity in Hotch's voice had almost brought tears to his eyes, but he managed to blink them away while quietly thanking his boss for those kind words.

But other than Hotch and possibly Gideon, none of the others knew anything about Spencer's home or family life. Spencer knew that they all assumed that he was a lonely nerdy socially awkward bachelor that had very little social interaction outside of work. And while that thought was both amusing and slightly insulting, he was content to let them keep it.

In reality, having a pre-teen living in his house had forced spencer into a level of social interaction that he would never have ever had otherwise. Through the last several years of his college career, he had been forced to work to support them both, forcing him to interact with large amounts of people through work. Then there was Eliza's school. Eliza was a fairly social girl, certainly much more than her brother. So, as odd as it may sound, spencer had been forced into social situations consisting of mostly women, mostly in their 30s, who were parents of Eliza's classmates. And of course social butterfly Eliza insisted on participating in various extracurriculars. So that meant even more social interaction.

And as awkward as it could be sometimes it actually did wonders for both Spencer's social skills and confidence level. And he had actually managed to make some pretty good friends among the middle aged women, who were in many ways, his peers. He also knew that because of it, he was worlds ahead of where he would have been socially and emotionally than if he had never had Eliza. Those women were determined to make him into the best young man they possibly could. To many of them, he was their pet project. And he honestly didn't mind it too much.

Even though he was fine with his coworkers not being aware of his sister, he knew that they would be only supportive of him if they did know. But for some reason he could never seem to find the right time or place to bring it up. And the longer he worked with them, he knew the more awkward it would become when it finally was revealed.

But the day did come. And rather suddenly.

The team had been out of town on a case. They had been called to a small town only about 3 hours north of them, so they had made the decision to drive instead of fly.

Eliza had been staying with a neighbor for the night and the case had been wrapped up pretty quickly. The unsub had been freaked out by the appearance of the FBI in his small town and had quickly spiraled out of control. He had become sloppy, and had been relatively simple to catch. In less than 2 days they were on their way back to Virginia.

It was while they were stopped for gas about 1/2 an hour away from the FBI building that Reid had recieved a call from the school.

They had all stepped out of the vehicle to stretch their legs after having to sit for several hours. Elle and Gideon were in the other SUV and were a ways ahead of them on the road. Morgan had decided to run into the gas station to get some snacks and JJ had decided to join him. Hotch was filling up the SUV when Reid felt his phone vibrating.

Looking at the caller ID, he was concerned to see it say the name of Liza's middle school. Why would they be calling at 10:30 on a Thursday morning? He hoped Liza wasn't in trouble.

"Hello, this is spencer Reid."

"Hello, Mr Reid. This is the nurse from Everton middle school. Your daughter Elizabeth is a student here, correct?"

Reid's stomach dropped. The nurse? Going to the nurse had never been a good experience for him. "Sister actually, but Yes! Is Eliza alright?"

"Well, it looks to me like she caught the stomach bug that's been going around. She's vomited a few times in the last little bit, and our school policy says that someone needs to come and pick her up since she's vomiting."

Relief flooded him, she hadn't been beat up, his irrational mind always jumped to the worst scenarios, not that she was the kind of kid to attract bully's, his rational mind supplied. That feeling was instantly replaced by a feeling of concern. "Yes, of course. I'm with my work team right now, but we are heading back into town. It may be a bit, but I'll be there as soon as I possibly can."

"Of course. She will just be here in the office waiting for you."

"Thank you ma'am."

Spencer signed and looked up the sky considering his options. He knew Eliza's friends mom could take her, but she was at work as well. He could call his neighbor, but she had small children and if Eliza had the flu... Making a choice he walked over to his boss.

"Hey Hotch."

The older man had been watching him. "Who was that?" He questioned jumping directly to the point.

"That was Eliza's school." Immediately a concerned look passed over Hotch's usually blank face. He recognized Reid's little sisters name. "She's sick, they think it's the stomach flu, and they need me to go and get her. So when we get back I'm afraid I'm going to need to leave right away."

"That's completely fine, paperwork can wait."

Reid nodded in gratitude, running hand through his hair. It was getting long, it needed a cut. Sighing he muttered about running to the restroom.

When he returned, the other team members were standing around waiting for him. Morgan and JJ were in deep conversation and Hotch came over to him.

"Reid, didn't you take the bus to work?"

"Yes, I usually do."

Agent Hotchner frowned, "do you have anything you need at the office?"

"Well, I have these files to drop off." He motioned at the stack of paperwork from this latest case that was sitting in a stack on the passenger seat.

"We can do that. You live in Everton, right?" Hotch was boring into his eyes.

"Um.. yeah?"

"We are going to drive right by that area. It would be smarter just to pick her up on our way into town."

Reid felt his mouth drop open. He definitely wasn't expecting such a generous offer.

Hotch continued. "It would save you money and time."

"Uh-h Hotch, I can't ask that of you guys."

"You're not asking, I'm offering."

Shaking himself out of his shock, he quickly expressed his gratitude. Sometimes it surprised him just how much his new coworkers seemed to genuinely like him. "I- uh, thank you. That would make my life so much simpler right now."

"No problem." He placed a hand on Reid's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "What's the address of the school?"

He quickly gave the address and his boss nodded and he put it into the gps. It had surprised him to learn when he started this job that although Aaron Hotchner had an extremely gruff and more than slightly frightening exterior, he was actually a huge softy. He had an extremely large heart, and was incredibly supportive. And spencer knew that this had only increased upon the recent discovery of his wife's pregnancy. He would trust Hotch with anything, including Eliza. In fact, in the back of his mind he was formulating an idea. If anything was to ever happen to him, he wanted Eliza to go to the Hotchners. But he was too nervous to ask just yet. Maybe in time though. And Hotch and his wife should probably meet Eliza, and he should probably meet Hotch's wife.

They all climbed into the car, Morgan and JJ, still in deep conversation. A sudden anxiety hit Reid deep in his stomach. Morgan and JJ were about to make a discovery that would shake their perfectly nerdy image of him. He knew that they were going to be upset that he hadn't told them sooner. But it was too late now, they were already headed into town.

In less than 15 minutes they were pulling off the exit into the suburb where Spencer and Liza lived. This sudden departure from the usual route was enough to shake the two unaware agents from their discussion.

"Uh, Hotch? Where we goin?" Morgan asked looking out the window at the passing suburban neighborhoods.

"We have a stop to make before we head back to headquarters."

"What sort of stop?" JJ's curious voice asked.

Hotch looked at Reid through the rear view mirror. He knew the look. This was his secret, his sister. It was his turn to talk.

Being profilers, both Morgan and JJ noticed the glance and turned to look at Reid.

He took a deep breath and avoiding their questioning gazes, he nervously looked out the window. "We are going to Everton Middle School. I need to pick up my sister."

There was a beat of silence, then almost at the exact same moment both Morgan and JJ said. "Sister?"

"Yes." He quietly answered, still avoiding looking at them. "She's sick, I need to take her home."

"That's who you were on the phone with?" Morgans unexpected question made Spencer turn and look into his concerned and surprised eyes. It always surprised him how observant Morgan could be when he wanted to.

"Uh - y-yeah. With the school."

"But-" JJ cut in. She sounded genuinely shocked and a little hurt. "A sister? You never said you had a sister?"

Feeling more than a little uncomfortable. He shrugged. "It never came up."

Thankfully any further questions were cut short by their arrival at the massive brick building that was labeled in big block print. 'Everton Middle'

Reid quickly jumped out. He leaned back in to talk to his boss. "Thank you so so much Hotch. I really appreciate you driving out of your way."

"Don't thank me just yet Reid. We're driving the two of you home as well."

"That's really not necessary! We live really close, we can just walk."

"Close? How close? A mile? Two?" His bosses amused voice caused Spencer to flush and grin guiltily.

"1.73 miles."

"Yeah, no. I'm not letting a 12 year old with the stomach flu walk almost 2 miles home in this weather." He motioned at the stormy clouds starting to roll in.

"Alright. Thank you. I'll be back in a minute." He quickly shut the SUV door and dashed up the steps into the school office.

Hotch leaned back in his seat sighing. It really was sad how very surprised Spencer always was when people were willing to help. He knew the boy had been on his own for a very long time. But he was grateful that this was now out in the open, maybe now he would be able to see that although Elizabeth was his sister and his responsibility, he didn't have to carry that burden alone anymore.

"Wait... what?" Morgan said looking at Hotch in shock, as soon as Spencer had shut the door. "You knew?" The accusatory note in Morgan's voice hit a nerve.

"Of course I knew. It's in his file. And I had to discuss any possible problems or conflicts during his interviews. Just like I did with both of you when you joined the team. This job is intense, I needed to be sure he was fully devoted. And he is, but there is more to his life than just work."

"But, why is it a secret?" JJ asked sounding a little hurt.

"I don't think it is a secret. But I'm not going to say anymore. Just know that there are reasons that Reid doesn't like the entire world to know about his home life."

"But we aren't the entire world. We're his coworkers. His friends." Morgan said almost angrily.

Hotch rubbed his eyes. He needed some sleep. "Look, I have my suspicions, but your going to have to talk to Reid himself."

There was a contemplative silence that filled the vehicle for a few moments. Then JJ spoke quietly. "I don't think he's ever really had good friends before."

Both of the men turned around to look at her in the back seat. "I mean, he has friends and acquaintances, I'm sure. But he told me he graduated high school at age 12. How hard would that be on your social life?"

"Well-" Morgan muttered frustratedly. "Then I'm just gonna have to make sure that boy knows he's got some good friends here that want him to trust them."

"Morgan" Hotch cut in quickly "just - just don't be too hard on him. That boy has been through a lot in his short life. The point he is at now is quite frankly a miracle."

Morgan and JJ both frowned at their boss wondering what the older man could possibly be referring to and why hadn't they ever sensed anything from the usually chipper and happy 23 year old profiler.

JJ bit her lip in worry watching out the window towards the office door that Spencer had disappeared into. He had secrets. This she knew. But how bad were they? Hotch implied that they were kind of big. Certainly a little sister in middle school was a huge secret. She knew the same thoughts were going through Morgan's head. And Spencer was becoming more and more like a younger brother to her. She wanted him to trust her. She had been working hard to get him to open up. This was proof that he obviously still held some pretty big secrets. That hurt a bit, but she was just now more determined to make him see how much he was loved.

A few moments later the office door opened and Spencer came out leading a small girl, her pink backpack was slung over his shoulder and he was talking to her. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders as he directed her towards the SUV.

He opened the door and climbed in first, allowing the small girl the window seat, rolling down the window to let in fresh air.

"Everyone," Spencer started nervously. "This is my sister Eliza. Liza, these are my coworkers. This is JJ. Derek Morgan, and Aaron Hotchner." He gestured at all of them individually.

She gave a small half smile at each of them and they all smiled back, even Hotch. She was thin but somewhat tall for her age. She was obviously going to end up just as tall as her 6'5 brother. They had the same deep set, hazel eyes that were slightly too large and too close together and gave them both the appearance of innocence. She had the same wavy light hair as Spencer, but hers was much longer and she obviously took more care of it than he did. And she had the same nose although hers was covered in a smattering of freckles. Overall, there was no denying that the two were related.

"I know your house is this direction, but what's the exact address?" Hotch asked.

As Spencer was talking to Hotch, Morgan turned around and started to try to talk to the 12 year old.

"Hey, I'm Morgan." He held out his hand for her to shake.

"Um, I'm really sick. You may not want to touch me." Her voice was croaky with sickness and her face was paler than Morgan knew was normal, even for a Reid, but her eyes lit up with happiness as she gave a small smile.

"Ah, germs don't affect me. They're too scared of me."

She giggled and took his hand, shaking it. Then she suddenly moaned and leaned her head against the frame of the window.

Spencer quickly turned to the little girl. "You alright?" She nodded with her eyes still squeezed tightly shut. "Just breath through it. We're almost home." He rubbed her back comfortingly.

"So," Morgan started again hoping to get the little girls mind off her nausea. "What do you like to do. Bet your just as smart as your genius brother over here."

Reid snorted at Morgan's attempt at a laugh. A smile flitted across her face and she opened her eyes to look at Morgan again. "Not quite as smart,"

"That's not true at all. You're very smart." Reid smiled down at her. He had never had her IQ tested. None of her teachers had ever recommended it and Spencer wanted her to have as normal a childhood he could possibly give her. After living through his childhood, he was perfectly happy to keep her a child for as long as possible. Although, she had skipped a grade already and suspected she might skip one next year as well. There was no hiding that she was very smart.

She grimaced in pain, shifting uncomfortably. After a moment she looked up at Morgan again and said with a small smirk. "But I'm better at sports than Spence."

Morgan laughed. "Well, that's true." Spencer said with a smile on his face.

She buried her face into her brother's arm. A small sob escaping her. "It hurts."

"I know" Reid murmured quietly.

Then suddenly, "Spence. I really really don't feel good." There was an urgent tone in her voice.

He looked down at his sister then quickly said "Hotch pull over!"

Hotch pulled the vehicle over just in time as Spencer dragged the little girl by the arm out of the crisp clean SUV, for her to vomit all over the curb.

He rubbed her back, muttering to her things they couldn't hear. His face had an intense look of concern. JJ, spoke after a moment. "Wow, this is a side of him I never thought I'd see." After a few moments of Spencer kneeling next to the child as she dry heaved, they climbed back into the car and they were on there way again.

"Just 4 more blocks." Spencer said distractedly as he held the silently crying child. She was obviously embarrassed and tired.

JJ, feeling her loving compassion, leaned over spencer to talk quietly to the child. She held out an unopened green gatorade that she had purchased at the gas station. "Here's something that you might be able to keep down. I know gatorade always makes my tummy feel a bit better when I feel sick."

Eliza looked at the gatorade and questioning up at her brother. He nodded encouragingly. She reached out and took it. "Thank you JJ." She said quietly wiping away a few more tears.

"Of course sweetheart." She smiled lovingly at the girl.

"Don't make your stomach hurt even worse, but you should try to put some fluids back in you." Spencer spoke quietly.

She nodded.

As they pulled up to the small but clean condo, Hotch looked back at the Reid siblings climbing out of the car. "Reid." His youngest agent looked up at him. "We can take care of things, take tomorrow off."

For a second it looked like Reid might protest, but a glance over his shoulder at the crying child clutching the green gatorade changed his expression instantly. "Ok, thank you. For everything."

Hotch nodded and as Spencer turned to lead his sister inside Morgan rolled down the window and shouted out to him.

"Hey kid!" Spencer turned back, mentally groaning hoping that whatever Morgan had to say wasn't going to be bad or embarrassing. Morgan seemed to consider for a moment, finally he opened his mouth and said, "You know Garcia's going to have a field day, right?"

He bit his lip, as his anxiety, which had been slowly dwindling in the car, came back full force. "Look, tell her..." he looked at Morgan then into the back where JJ sat watching him with big eyes and then at his boss whose expression was blank, the finally resting back on Morgan. And instantly he knew he could trust them, but even if he couldn't they were not going to let him rest until they knew everything. "I'll be in on Monday. Any questions you have I'll answer then."

JJ nodded in the back. And as he turned, Morgan reached out and caught his arm. "Kid. No holding back? No more secrets? Right?"

His heart jumped again. That was a tall order. No lies, no holding back. That meant everything. The full custody situation. His dad's leaving, his mom's sickness. All the years of sacrifice and heartache. Could he do it? But as he looked at his friend, he could see the worry and a vulnerability that he had almost never seen on that face before. He found himself nodding. "Yes. Everything."

The last 10 minute drive into the office was a quiet one. All 3 members of the team were deep into their own thoughts.

When the walked into the office they were greeted by the usual chaos and noise of the FBI.

As they walked to their desks, Garcia's voice rang out. "There they are."

The excited tech waved at the 3 agents. Elle sat next to her at the desks. "Where did you guys go? We thought you got lost."

"No" JJ said "we just had to..." she glanced at Morgan and Hotch. "Make a detour."

"A detour?" Elle questioned looking quizzically at her coworkers.

There was an awkward silence as JJ looked nervously at Morgan. Morgan rolled his eyes and groaned. Just his luck, why did it fall to him to be the one to spill Reid's secrets.

Garcia and Elle looked at eachother with eyebrows raised. Not liking the uncomfortable atmosphere in the room, Garcia asked "where's Reid? He was with you right? You didn't leave him in Pennsylvania did you?"

"No..." JJ trailed off, then seeing the alarmed faces of her coworkers she quickly and nervously edited herself. "No we didn't leave him in Pennsylvania, he was with us, but..."

She trailed off again looking up at Morgan again. Goodness she was just as bad, if not worse than the kid. The atmosphere was getting a little unbearable. He opened his mouth, not exactly sure what was going to come out "look guys-" but then he spotted Gideon. His glasses where perched on the end of his nose, which was stuck in a file he was reading. He wandered over towards the group, not looking up and placing a stack of papers on Reid's desk.

"Did you know?" He asked loudly, hoping his voice didn't come out sounding angry. If anyone had known it would be Gideon. He was the kids mentor, and closer to him than anyone else on the team. It was one thing for Hotch to know. As team leader, Hotch knew a lot about each of them and wasn't at liberty to say most of it. But Gideon... for some reason it didn't seem right to him for Gideon to be keeping secrets like that.

Gideon didn't even look up from the file. "Know about what?"

"Morgan." Hotch's warning voice came from somewhere behind him. He ignored it. He could feel the 3 women behind him stiffen and watch the interaction intently.

"About Reid." His breath was coming out heavily and angrily "about his sister." Someone behind him let out a small gasp.

That made Gideon look up. His eyebrows raised. "Sister?" He looked surprised and for half a second Morgan almost believed Gideon actually hadn't known about it, but then he continued speaking. "She young?"

Taken aback by the question he stammered "well, yeah, she can't be more than..." he turned to JJ. She would probably know better.

"11, 12 maybe?" JJ shrugged.

"Hmm, thought so." Then Gideon's nose was back in the file. But Morgan wasn't going to let him go that easily.

"So you did know!"

"Know?" He honestly looked surprised. "You didn't?"

At the blank or shocked looks on all of their faces Gideon sighed and continued.

"I didn't know the specifics, but I knew there was a child heavily involved in his life. The evidence is all over his behavior."

At there continued shocked faces he almost laughed.

"Oh my, you people are supposed to be some of the best profilers in the business! Honestly none of you saw it?"

Chuckling, he place the file he had been reading on Reid's desk. "I think you all need more practice." Shaking his head he turned and started back up the stairs towards his office.

Refusing to be insulted, Morgan angrily put his bag down on his desk and sat down. He could feel a headache coming.

"So wait. Reid has a sister?"

"Yeah," thankfully JJ took Elle's question. "a little sister. She was sick at school, that's why we were late. We had to pick her up then dropped both of them off at home."

"A little girl genius?" Garcia's squeal of excitement reverberated around the room and echoed around in Morgan's head.

"Please baby girl. My head has been through a lot today."

"I'm so sorry! My love!" She quickly lowered her voice. She kissed her hand and put it on his temple.

"But why wouldn't he tell us? He's been working here for, what? Like almost a year?" Elle didn't sound mad or hurt, just curious.

Morgan shrugged. "He said he would answer all questions truthfully on Monday."

"Monday?" Garcia cut in sounding distressed.

"Yeah, he has tomorrow off. Liza looked pretty sick."

"Liza! Liza Reid! What a pretty name!" Garcia gushed.

"It's actually Elizabeth." Hotch said quietly. "Now I know I can't stop you from making a big deal about it, but" he held up his finger, grabbing all of their full attentions. "I am forbidding any type of hacking into his personal life."

"But sir!"

"Garcia!"

"Alright."

"Look, Reid's personal life is just that, personal. He has things that he doesn't like to share. Just like we all do." He looked intently at each member of his team. Knowing that each of them had enough skeletons in their own closets. "I know he has promised to answer questions, but I don't want you all pushing on him. Understand?" There was a murmuring of assent. He nodded and picked up his bag and headed up the stairs following Gideon.

Garcia instantly began badgering Morgan and JJ with questions. What's she like? What does she look like? Is she smart? What's her favorite color? How was Reid with her? Are they absolutely adorable together? Does she like cupcakes?

But Elle broke through Garcia's excited babble. "There is one thing I don't understand."

They all looked over at her.

"I thought Reid's parents were in Vegas."

"They are!" JJ said, eyes wide. "That's what he told me. He told me he was the first to move away from Vegas."

"So," Elle continued. "Wouldn't a 12 year old still be living with her mom and dad?"

"Maybe she is just visiting?" Garcia threw out after a moment of awkward silence.

"We picked her up from school, baby girl. She lives here." Morgan said thinking hard. Elle brought up a good point. "And Hotch said she's listed as a dependent on Reid's file."

They all looked at each other nervously. But Elle voiced it. "He's always getting picked on for his age. But why would a 23 year old boy have such a responsibility?"

No one had an answer. And they all knew that none of the possible answers could be good or easy.

Later that evening as the team was finishing up their work for the day, Garcia came bustling down into the bullpen, her arms full. She stopped at Morgan's desk.

"I have some yummy homemade chicken noodle soup and some sprite and some of the yummiest crackers I could find. Ooh! And I made this card for her!" She waved around a sparkly card the read 'get well soon'

"What's all this?" Morgan asked rubbing his head. He hadn't been able to concentrate all day.

"It's for the baby genius!" Garcia almost stamped her foot in annoyance that Morgan wasn't keeping up.

"I see someone else had the same idea." JJ said, coming down from her office. She too was carrying a shopping bag. "I ran to the store over lunch."

She then pulled out a new pink fuzzy blanket and a microwaveable heating pad in the form of a stuffed elephant. "I wasn't sure what she likes, so I took a guess."

Garcia squealed as she picked up the elephant. "I'm sure she'll love it!"

"Do you want to come with us Morgan?" JJ asked.

"You're going tonight?" He looked between the two.

"Nothing like the present for presents!" Garcia said as she began gathering her gifts.

"Don't worry, we aren't going to harass him. We'll just drop off the stuff and see how Eliza's doing." JJ reassured him.

Morgan sighed. "No, it's ok. Reid probably doesn't want a bunch of people in his home right now, besides I don't think I would be able to stop myself from demanding answers."

So, about half an hour later both JJ and Garcia stood on the stoop of the Reid residence.

Reid had been doing the dishes when the doorbell rang. They did own a dishwasher, but Spencer found that washing dishes by hand helped to soothe him. And his anxiety definitely needed soothing right now. He was most definitely worried about what the team was wondering and speculating while he wasn't there. And he was worried about Liza. She had vomited 3 more times and had continued complaining of pain until he could get her settled on the couch with a movie. It wasn't extremely out of character for her to be spouting complaints, but she had never been this sick before.

When the doorbell rang, Spencer quickly went to get it. He hoped Liza was sleeping and didn't want her to be woken. He had spoken to and elderly neighbor earlier and told her about Eliza being sick. She had been sympathetic and said she would bring over a plate of her scones later, because she knew Eliza loved them. So when he opened the door to find some of his team members, he had been surprised.

"JJ! Garcia! What are you doing here?"

Although, he guessed that he shouldn't have been too surprised, he should have known that Garcia wouldn't be able to wait over a 3 day weekend to demand answers. As if she read his mind, JJ quickly threw out. "We aren't here to harass you."

"We come with sick gifts for the baby genius!" Garcia said beaming from ear to ear.

He was so shocked that it took him a moment to work his vocal cords. "Uh, wow. You didn't have to do that!"

"We know." JJ said watching his face intently. "We wanted too." He knew that she could read him like a book. And he knew that she was analyzing the shock that he had just displayed. He worked hard to rearrange his face. He didn't need overly concerned coworkers analyzing his every emotion.

"How is the baby genius doing?" Garcia asked in concern.

"Uh, she's ok. And she's not actually a baby." Then shaking himself he quickly moved aside. "Please, come in."

They quickly stepped into the Reid home, looking around and taking it all in. No one had been in Reid's home before. It wasn't obsessively neat like JJ would have thought it might be, but it wasn't messy either. Actually, it looked very much like a 23 year old guy and 12 year old child lived there. Except for the books. Those were very much a Reid thing.

JJ glanced around. There was a small sitting room with at least 6 bookcases shoved to the max. Which didn't surprise her at all, but what did surprise her was the fact that quite a few of the books were definitely not Spencer's. It looked like the younger Reid was an avid reader as well. Also the piano was a surprise. But the pile of socks on the floor waiting to be sorted was not. Nor was the pile of schoolwork and mail on the table. Nor was the mismatched furniture in most of the house that looked like it had been bought second hand. She guessed it shouldn't have surprised her, when she was 23, she was living in a sparsely furnished dorm room, and she didn't have a child to support.

"I think she may be asleep." Reid's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Don't wake her up for us." JJ quickly cut in. "We didn't want to stay long, we just wanted to drop off this stuff, to hopefully make her feel better." Garcia nodded eagerly in agreement.

"Let me go check just to be sure." He went around the corner to where JJ could hear a tv on low.

Garcia started pulling out all the things they had brought and setting them on the table. Spencer came back into the room. "Yeah, she finally fell asleep."

"That's fine!" JJ quickly assured him. "We just wanted to see how she was doing. Any better?"

He moved his head side to side. "It's hard to say." JJ and Garcia knew that was code for 'no, not really.'

"Well," Garcia started "we brought some soup and snacks and some cards signed by everyone and some presents!"

Reid picked up the elephant. He laughed quietly. "She will love it! I'll make sure she knows that you stopped by."

They smiled at him. Then Garcia, unable to stop herself "I promise not to wake her, but could I just take a peek?"

Nodding he motioned her to follow him. He put down the elephant and grabbed the new fluffy blanket they had brought.

He lead them into the living room. She was curled up on the couch, her pale face drenched in sweat. Spencer unfolded the blanket and JJ quickly rushed forward to help him tuck it in around her small but lanky form. She instinctively snuggled into it, burrowing herself deeper into the sofa.

Garcia let out a tiny squeal of happiness.

As they made their way back through the house to the front door. "Oh, boy wonder! She is the sweetest! And she looks so much like you!"

"Actually we both share similar inherited characteristics from the same parents. But thank you."

Garcia giggled. And reached up and kissed Reid on the cheek. He couldn't help the instant flush that appeared.

As he showed them out, JJ turned to him. "Spence." She started. Reid did a double take. Liza was the only one who had ever called him spence before. "You know that you can come to us with anything, right?" He swallowed, overwhelmed by the sincerity in her voice. He was alarmed to find his eyes becoming slightly watery.

"Thank you JJ, Garcia."

It was in the middle of the night that things went from bad to worse.

He had moved Liza to her bed right before turning in himself. She had moaned and let out a small sob but hadn't woken up. For that he was grateful. As he went to sleep he just hoped she would feel better in the morning.

At 2:39 Spencer woke up suddenly with a horrible feeling of anxiety and fear coursing through him. Something akin to parental intuition. He quickly threw off his covers, put on his glasses, and headed down the hall. Liza's light was on. He found her sobbing on the bathroom floor. "Eliza?!"

She looked up at him with tears running down her face. "It hurts so bad Spence."

He frowned and put a hand on her head. She was burning up. That wasn't normal for the fever still to be going strong. But when she grabbed her right side and let out another sob, the pieces clicked and panic rushed through his veins.

"We're going to the hospital."

It was pretty early on a Friday morning, but the Hotchner household was awake. Haley had insisted on coming down and eating breakfast with her husband before he left for work. Besides the baby was awake and kicking her insides and wouldn't let her sleep anymore.

They had been laughing at something together when Aaron's phone buzzed. She watched as her husband read the massage, his face going from carefree to alarmed.

"Aaron, what is it? Is it a case?"

He ripped his eyes up. "Uh. No. It's one of my agents. Reid, the young one. He had to take his sister to the hospital early this morning. Appendicitis."

"Oh dear! How is she?"

"He says she just went into surgery."

There was moment of concerned silence as Aaron quickly responded to his agent's message.

"How old is she?" Haley asked in concern. She was watching her husband's face. He was concerned.

"12, I think." He ran a hand through his hair. "I know I'm just his boss, but I do feel a little responsible for him. He's so young. Only 23."

"Does he have any family in town?"

Aaron shook his head. "Just him and his sister."

"He shouldn't be at the hospital by himself." She muttered. He nodded murmuring his agreement. He frowned down at his phone. She knew that Aaron would go be with him if he could, but he had mentioned earlier that he had a huge pile of work that he couldn't put off. She came to a decision and stood, rubbing a sore spot on her lower back. "Well, then, I don't have any plans for today. I can go and keep him company."

"You?" Aaron's surprised eyes met hers.

"Why be bored around here all day when I could be doing something good. Besides, I would like to meet this young agent that's taken the FBI by storm." She had heard about all of Aaron's agents, but she always knew when he was more fond of one of them. She knew he worried about the young genius.

He chuckled and got up and kissed Haley on the cheek. He knew there was no talking his wife out of this now that she had set her mind on it. That's why he loved her.

Spencer sat in the hospital waiting room. He had been here for hours. They had gotten to the hospital and gotten everything checked in, by then it had almost been 4. Then they had to wait for the hospital to run some tests, then they were waiting on the surgeon. But finally, now at half past 6, Eliza was now in surgery. His stomach was doing somersaults. He felt a little nauseous. He felt guilty that it had taken so long for him to figure out what was going on. But extremely grateful that they were here now. The doctor said they they had caught it soon enough that it shouldn't cause any major issues.

"Agent Reid?" A tentative voice said from behind him.

He sat up and turned around in surprise. A blonde pregnant woman was looking at him curiously. He nodded.

She smiled and came over and sat next to him. "Im Haley Hotchner."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. He had texted Hotch so that his boss was aware what was going on, but he hadn't expected this.

She held out a coffee and a blueberry muffin. "I figured you hadn't eaten yet."

"I..." he took the food. "Thank you." He looked into her eyes in confusion. He didn't even know this woman.

"Nobody should be alone at the hospital." He felt some of the anxiety and panic that had been plaguing him for the last hours melt away as she placed a hand on his arm.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." And he wasn't even embarrassed when a tear or two escaped.

Hotch knew that he needed to keep the team up to date on Reid's situation. But he hadn't yet had an opportunity. As soon as he walked through the door, he had a consult waiting on the phone and all of his team members were buried in paperwork.

But he wasn't too worried about Reid. And appendicitis was becoming a more common operation and Haley was with him. She had texted him as he arrived at the office saying she had found Reid and he was just darling. And that she was going to make him eat something, he was too skinny. He had laughed to himself, knowing Reid was in good hands. And loving his wife for her kindness.

Around lunch time he found his opportunity to speak with the team. Garcia had come up from her rooms and was sitting on Morgan's desk chatting with Elle and JJ. Hotch seized his chance. Knocking on Gideon's door, he motioned for him to come. He looked surprised but obliged.

As he and Gideon made their way towards the others he heard Garcia ask. "Has anyone heard from Reid today?"

"Actually," he cut in, seeing several of the others shake their heads. "That's what I need to speak to you all about."

They all sat up straight, eyes all fixed on their boss. Even Gideon was watching him with a touch of concern on his face. "I know he said that he would be back on Monday, and I'm sure he'll still try, but I'm going to insist that he take more time."

"Why? Is his sister alright?" Garcia asked looking alarmed.

In fact, most of the team was looking at him with question in their eyes.

"I'm sure she's doing much better now, but I got a text from Reid early this morning. He had to take her into the hospital in the middle of the night. It was an appendicitis."

"Oh that poor thing!" JJ gasped.

"They're at the hospital now?" Morgan asked urgently. At seeing His boss's nod, he quickly stood, grabbing his wallet and holstering his gun.

"Morgan," Hotch said trying cut off his most impulsive agent.

"No Hotch! Why didn't you tell us earlier? Do you think I'm gonna sit here and happily do paperwork while Reid is sitting alone in a hospital while his sister is in intensive care? No! Can you imagine how terrified he must have been last night? I won't do it."

"Morgan." He started again. "I know! Do you really think I would leave him alone? I care about him as much as you. Haley is with him now."

Morgan deflated a bit, but he still had an edge of defiance. "I'm still going."

Hotch nodded. "I wouldn't expect anything less of you. I would appreciate it if you cleaned up your lunch first though." He referenced the fast food wrappers littering the table and floor.

"She's ok, though, right?" JJ asked as Morgan scuttled around straightening his desk area.

Hotch flipped open his phone. "The last message I got from Haley was about an hour ago. She said that they had just finished her post op and she was being checked into a room. The doctor wants to observe for 24 hours before sending her home."

"I know we shouldn't overwhelm Reid, but you'll text me right?" Garcia asked Morgan. "I'll bring by anything they need after work."

Morgan quickly assured everyone that he would convey their best wishes. Then he was off. A few moments passed before Elle stood and went over to Reid's desk and grabbing a hand full of files from the top of the enormous stack that was beginning to accumulate.

"The least I can do is to make sure he doesn't come back to work drowning in paperwork."

Reid sat by Eliza's bed watching her sleep. He felt so much better, just having her in his line of vision. Even if she was hooked up to about a dozen machines. He had been so worried, but the doctor said that everything went well.

Hearing Haley shift uncomfortably on the chair beside him, he said "I really appreciate you being here, but your 9 months pregnant. You should probably go home and rest."

She smiled at him. "I'm ok, I'm not leaving you alone."

"He's right." A voice came from the doorway. "You should go rest, you look exhausted. Besides, he won't be alone."

"Morgan." Reid said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled at Reid and looked down at the child asleep on the bed. "What do you think I'm doing here? How is she?"

"The doctor says it went well, and if there are no complications then she can go home tomorrow."

"That's good." Haley stood and offered Morgan her chair.

"Well, since you both insist, I think I will go get some food and take a nap since the baby seems to be sleeping." She patted her round tummy.

"Thank you so much!" Reid stood. Haley quickly came forward and gave Spencer a strong hug.

"Oh, your welcome! Now, you have my number." He nodded. "I want to know how she does and when you go home. Ok?" He nodded again. "Never be afraid to ask for help."

He nodded and murmured his deepest appreciation.

After she left, he quickly texted his boss his immense thanks for sending his wife. She was a lifesaver.

The two men sat in silence for a few moments. Deciding to break the silence, Morgan said "you know, Gideon thinks we're all idiots for not profiling that you have a kid in your house."

A tiny smile flitted across Reid's face. But he didn't say anything.

"Something's bothering you pretty boy, I can tell." Morgan spoke again.

"Can't imagine what that would be." Reid muttered sarcastically.

"Hey, none of that now. She's ok. The doctor said she would be fine."

"Did you know that the mortality rate of ruptured appendix in children under the age of 12 is almost 97%?"

"No, I didn't."

"Mostly because it's hard to catch it in time. It's often misdiagnosed as food poisoning, allergies, cramps, or the stomach flu."

"But you did catch it in time. And as soon as you knew what it was, you brought her here. You did everything right." Morgan said watching Reid's face as the young agent stared at his hands.

"But it could have been so easy to miss. What if I hadn't found her in the bathroom? What if I just kept insisting it was the flu, what-" Reid was working himself into a state.

"Nope, no. We aren't gonna think about that. She's here, she's ok. That's all that matters." Morgan cut him off.

Reid sighed and stretched out in his chair as much as the cramped room would allow for his long legs. "If she died because I was too dumb and inexperienced to see, to know what I was doing... I don't think I would ever recover. I would never forgive myself." His honesty made Morgan take a deeper look at the young man, no more than a boy, sitting next to him.

Morgan frowned. "There are a lot of words I could use to describe you Spencer Reid, but dumb isn't one of them. Inexperienced... maybe. But I would probably just have gone with young."

"Young can be just as bad as dumb." Reid mumbled.

"Hey, nobody raising another human has a perfect idea of what they are doing. And you're not alone in this anymore."

Reid sighed and nodded looking down at the sleeping child's face.

He looked tired. Although he was young enough that he didn't have any lines or wrinkles, he did have a look of someone who was resigned to their fate but was going to meet it head on.

"You've carried this responsibility alone for a long time, haven't you?"

The question made Reid look at his friend in shock. He grinned tightly. "Yeah, a long time. More than a decade."

Morgan closed his eyes. He could do math. A decade. He really didn't want to think about the ages the two Reid children would have been.

"You ain't alone anymore pretty boy. You've got friends who love you and care about you and by proxy love her just as much." He nodded at Eliza. "I won't hound you until you're ready. But just know that we won't judge you. I won't judge you. Nothing will change how we care about the two of you."

"I appreciate that. Thank you Morgan."

Morgan grasped the younger mans shoulder. They sat in silence for awhile. It was there, sitting in that hospital room that Morgan realized that Spencer Reid wasn't just a coworker, he wasn't even just a friend. No, he was his little brother. And he would take care of him just like a big brother should.

It was Wednesday when Reid finally made it back into work. The whole team was ecstatic.

Even though a few of them had seen him briefly over the weekend, each of them made sure to say how good it was to have him back.

Garcia dropped off a plate of homemade brownies with specific instructions to give Liza her love. Morgan would ruffle his hair every time he walked past. Hotch made sure to pass on a message of love from Haley. And Gideon came and pulled Spencer aside, gripping his shoulder, telling him fiercely that he never needed to feel like he had to hide things.

All day he continually checked his phone. He had told Eliza that she didn't have to go back to school so soon, but she insisted. She had been bored to tears at home all day. And so far there weren't any calls from the school or texts from Liza, so it seemed to be going well.

After work, when most of the other teams had begun to clear out, JJ came down from her office and Garcia came up from hers. Morgan and Elle both crowded close around Reid's desk.

"You said you would answer questions." JJ simply said.

He nodded mutely. Putting down his paperwork and turning to face them all.

"Do I need to get Hotch and Gideon?" Elle asked looking up to the office. Reid waved it off.

"Hotch knows almost everything already and Gideon knows quite a bit and I'm sure he's figured out the rest." He sighed. It was now or never. Over the last couple days, they had all been so awesome and kind. If he could trust anyone with his past it would be these people. "What questions do you have?"

They all looked at each other, but JJ was the first to speak. "Why didn't you just tell us your sister lives with you? You've worked here for awhile now."

"I don't know. Habit, I suppose. I never made a choice not to tell you. It's just... it's not something that I'm used to telling people. It's not a secret now, but a few years ago, it kind of was."

"You're her legal guardian?" Elle asked.

He nodded. "Full custody."

They all sat in silence for a few seconds. "She really is your sister right, I mean, she not..." Morgan trailed off awkwardly.

Reid laughed. "You're asking if I got into trouble as a teenager? No, she's not my daughter. I would have been 10 when she was conceived. No, she's definitely my sister." He laughed again.

Morgan raised his hands in surrender at Reid's laughter. "I just wanted to be sure." But he was smiling too.

"But...she was a shock. I was old enough to remember and understand what was going on when my mom found out she was pregnant." He sobered. "Actually, it would have made getting custody so much easier if she had been my daughter."

"Why-" Elle started "why doesn't she live with them, your parents? Why do you have custody?"

"That's a difficult and complicated question." He sighed, resigning himself to telling them the full story. And his coworkers were watching with interest.

"Well, I've had full custody of Eliza since I was 18. But I've been the main caretaker of her for a lot longer than that."

"In the hospital you said she's been your responsibility for over a decade." Morgan said watching the younger mans expressions.

Reid sighed. "The responsibility came on so gradually that it's hard to exactly determine when she became mainly my responsibility. I was 18, Liza was 7, when it became legal, but by that point I had been riding out the storm, avoiding foster care for several years."

"That's a long time." JJ almost whispered.

Reid nodded. "I want to make it clear that I love my mother. She is an angel. She did her best. Even if her best wasn't at all sufficient."

Seeing that none of them where going to interrupt him, he plowed on "when I was small, I didn't know she was sick. Well, I mean, I think I knew, but I didn't realize exactly what the meant. My mom has paranoid schizophrenia."

There was a moment of silence as everyone digested this, Reid prepared to continue, but Garcia cut him off. "Schizophrenia, what exactly does that mean?"

"Mama," Morgan went to gently cut her off, but Reid waved it aside. He knew the profilers knew what it was. It wasn't uncommon for an unsub to have it. But a lot of other people didn't actually know what that meant.

"No, it's fine. I'm extremely educated on the subject and I would rather people just ask rather than relying on some of the myths or gossip that goes around about it."

"I mean, I've heard of it, but I don't know exactly what that means." Garcia quickly said smiling at him.

"Schizophrenia is a mental disorder. Commonly characterized by psychotic episodes of hearing voices or experiencing delusions of alternate realities. There are varying levels of the disease and everyone is different. Some people tend towards violence, but most do not. Some people are extremely high functioning, controlling it with medications, leading normal lives, and you would never know they had a mental illness. Others... not so much."

He took another deep breath, trying to stay calm and keep his voice steady. But they all seemed to be reacting well so far. "My mom was diagnosed as a teenager, and for a long time it was controlled really well with medication. She lead a completely normal life. She was married, had me, she was a college professor, teaching 15th century literature-"

"Why doesn't that surprise me." JJ said with a smile. Everyone chuckled, including Reid.

"She still loves to read to us. It's her favorite thing to do." He smiled and the others smiled involuntarily as well.

"It was probably about when I was 8, that things started to get bad enough that I noticed. The deterioration got to the point where she couldn't teach anymore. Sometimes her "delusions" for lack of a better word, really began to interfere with day-to-day life. The neighbors began to notice.

"When she was pregnant with both me and Eliza she had to go off her antipsychotics, because the effects on fetal development aren't really studied or well documented. In my opinion, that was probably the reason for her accelerated decline in health. That and the stress.

"For the first couple years of Eliza's life, she was really good still. Which is a miracle, because there is no way I could have possibly taken care of an infant when I was 10. It was about, probably when I was 15 that it became obvious that I needed to be the one to take care of Eliza full time. My mom just really wasn't able to do it all of the time anymore. She had good days, plenty of them, but there were also bad days, and you never knew what it was going to be. Thankfully Eliza went into school and so she wasn't home most the day anymore. And, we did ok for several years. But CPS was always a big threat, which is why I have a habit of not telling people.

"By the time I was 18-" he shook his head. "My mom was out of control. The meds weren't helping as much as they used too, if I could convince her to take them at all. She needed 24/7 supervision. Eliza was 7, and she also really needed someone there most of the time. By then I had 2 phds, 3 BAs, and 4 minors. I'd pretty much maxed out the local university. And I had university reps from all over the nation hounding me to go to their school."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I had to make a choice. The hardest choice of my life. My mom is currently institutionalized in Las Vegas."

JJ knelt down next to him and put her hand on his arm. "Oh Spence."

"It's ok. I've come to terms with it. I had to face the realization that I can't fix my mom. She is very sick and I have done everything that I could possibly do for her. I can't regret making that choice because she is where she needs to be. And if I passed her care off, then Eliza could come first. And Eliza will always come first.

Garcia had tears running down her cheeks. "Oh sweety!" And she leaned down and threw her arms around his neck.

He patted her awkwardly on the back until she let go and returned to her seat next to Morgan. Wiping away her tears.

"What about your father?" Elle asked.

Reid's head snapped up. An odd look on his face. "Dad? Dads much easier. He left."

"He left?" Morgan said in a dangerous tone. "What do you mean he left?"

Reid shrugged. "Couldn't handle the heat anymore I guess. It was 8 months before Liza was born. He and mom had a fight. He packed a suitcase and walked out. Haven't seen him since."

Morgan was livid. "He left you and your sick mother while she was pregnant?"

Reid shrugged and nodded "in his defense, as small and pathetic as it is, I don't think he knew that mom was pregnant."

"How old were you?" JJ asked

"10."

There was silence for a moment or two.

"I don't think he is the type of person that ever learned how to deal with stress very well. He didn't and probably still doesn't do hard situations. And I was not an easy child, I was extremely high maintinence, I was weird."

At JJs chuckle and Elle's snort, he added "well, even weirder than I am now."

But Morgan, it seemed was about to blow. "I don't care how weird you think you were! You're smart and kind and compassionate, willing to sacrifice yourself for others and I'm sure your mother is the same when she's healthy. But even if you had been the most out of control, trouble making hoodlum in all of Las Vegas, that man had absolutely no right to walk out on you!"

He was breathing heavily. The 3 women and Reid all looked shocked at the outburst. Morgan was known to get heated about things, but this was the next level, almost as if it was personal.

"My dad was a cop." Morgan continued in the same furious tone. "And when I was a kid he was shot and killed right in front of me in the line of duty. Growing up, all I ever wanted was a dad, but at least I knew that he had died doing something good, and if he had the power to be with me, he would have been."

All of their faces read pure shock. Morgan never revealed personal information about himself.

"Nothing, and I do mean nothing, makes me angrier than when capable men voluntarily walk out on their women and children. That man is not a father. He is not a man! He is a coward! There is nothing more despicable to me than a man creating a life. Making a child, then leaving it like trash."

He turned and spoke directly to Reid. "I don't care how high maintenance you were, or how much of an odd duck you were, or even how much you may feel like he was justified, you did not deserve to be abandoned and left with a sick, pregnant mother to take care of. I don't care if he didn't like 'hard situations,' a family is not something you can just walk out on."

They all sat in silence for a moment as Morgan caught his breath and tried to calm down. Reid was looking at Morgan with an odd look on his face.

"Thank you, Morgan. That's the first time I've ever heard anybody say that."

"What? That he was a coward?"

"No," Reid chuckled. "My mom used to say that a lot. No, no ones ever said that he was wrong to leave."

"I think he's missing out big time." Elle said smiling "his son is amazing and I know his daughter is too, even though I've never met her."

Reid felt himself flush.

"He's never made any attempt to contact you?" Garcia asked. She looked extremely distraught. Two of her favorite people were admitting to having horribly traumatic experiences in their childhoods. She was clutching Morgan's arm tightly in an attempt to convey her love and comfort to him.

Reid shook his head. "I tried to call a couple of times when I realized that a baby was coming, but he never responded. Really, for all I know, he could have died years ago."

"You think he's dead?" JJ asked.

"I have no idea. But if I go with my gut... no. I don't think he's dead. I think he's happy and well. He probably has a pretty stress free life and successful career. No, I don't think he's dead."

"Do you want me to destroy his credit score? I can do that. It wouldn't be hard." Garcia suddenly asked. "No one hurts my boy and baby genius."

Reid laughed and said "no Garcia, he's not worth it. Leave him be. He's been gone for so long it doesn't even matter anymore."

Garcia pouted but muttered something to Morgan that Reid was grateful he didn't hear.

"Well," Reid said stretching. "That's it, now you all know all of my dirt. No more secrets from me. At least nothing important or huge."

Elle shook her head. "Wow Reid. That's quite the story."

JJ let out a small sob and pulled Reid out of his chair so she could properly hug him. "Spence, I know you've been alone in this for so so long. But please," she pulled back and looked into his eyes "please know that being alone is not a thing anymore. You have lots of help. Lots of people who care. And lots of people who just want the best for you. And for Liza!"

Garcia took her place as she stepped back. "I know your a good brother, a great brother. But never ever worry about asking for advice or help."

"Thank you," he said feeling his eyes water. "You have no idea how much that means to me. I-" but he cut himself off.

"Go on, pretty boy. Something's bothering you. Get it off your chest." Morgan urged.

"It's just that sometimes I worry. Everyone here is always talking about how young I am. And it's true. I don't know what I'm doing half the time. I worry that I'm not being supportive enough or kind enough or strict enough. I worry about helping her succeed, I worry about how much I should let her fail. I worry that I'm doing it all wrong and she's going to end up messed up and confused. I worry that I just don't know how to be a dad or a brother and it's all going end badly for both of us."

"Hey," Elle said grabbing his arm and pulling him into a hug just like the other two women. "All parents feel that way. Do you think that Hotch and Haley know everything? Definitely not. Are they scared. Of course they are. All people raising children have the same doubts and concerns."

"Reid, from what I've seen, you are doing a fantastic job. You obviously love her, and that's all that matters." Morgan said quietly.

"And if you still need more reassurance, then rest of us are here. Not that any of us know anything about raising teenagers. But we can all make mistakes together and learn from it." Garcia smiled at him.

He smiled back but then said "she not a teenager, not yet. I'm not ready for that just yet. I'll never be ready for that."

"Oh pretty boy," Morgan laughed loudly. "You know she gonna be trouble in a few years. All the boys are gonna be crazy about that cutie. You're gonna have your hands full."

"Nope," Reid said turning his head in an expression of ignoring Morgan. "Nope, no boys for her. She's my baby sister and she not allowed to grow up."

"Oo! You are gonna need our help! She's gonna need someone to take her prom dress shopping and someone to talk about boys with! And someone to teach her how to do make-up!"

Reid had paled considerably at this point. But was internally pleased that they were being so welcoming and supportive.

"Oh! Can you imagine Reid meeting her first date? That poor kid!"

They all laughed. A part of him that had been hollow for years seemed to fill and heal. He had found something that he had never experienced before. And his family had just gotten a lot bigger.

It was about 2 months later that the FBI was having its yearly holiday party. This was the sort of thing that Reid would normally opt out of, but Garcia had cornered him and threatened him within an inch of his life saying if he didn't come and bring his darling little girl, then she would be force to take violent action.

And Liza, the social butterfly had heard the word 'party' and was instantly on board.

Eliza had forced him to go shopping and had forced him to buy a new suit. A proper one with a red tie. She claimed it was "festive." And she had made him cut his hair. She had said he looked "dashing! Like a nerdy Prince Charming!" He didn't know when she had become so particular about his style.

This would be the first time that his team was properly introduced to a healthy Eliza Reid. Walking into the party he had been nervous, but he needn't have worried.

Morgan was there with a woman Reid had never seen before on his arm, and was sure he'd never see again.

JJ was beautiful in a blue dress talking to Elle who was wearing heels taller than he had ever seen before.

Garcia was flitting around talking to everyone, she was extremely noticeable in her sparkly red and green attire.

And Hotch was there, with Haley and their brand new baby Jack.

Gideon was the first to notice and approach the siblings. He shook Liza's hand and started up a conversation. He spoke intently but kindly to the younger Reid. Spencer could tell that his mentor was sizing her up. Profiling her. Seeing if she was made of the same stuff as her brother. Something about it irked him, but that feeling went away as Gideon turned to him and said. "She's a good girl. Gonna be a really great adult. You're doing a good job." Liza blushed at the comment, muttering a thank you, and uncharacteristically tried to hide partially behind her brother. This made Gideon smile.

It wasn't long before the women of the team discovered that Eliza was there. And while Spencer was talking to Morgan and some people from a differnt department, JJ dragged Eliza off to where the Hotchners were talking with Elle and A few other agents, with promises of chocolate cake and hot coco.

When Spencer glanced over to check on Eliza, his chest flooded with warmth as he saw Haley helping her hold baby Jack. JJ was leaning over brushing Eliza's hair aside and Elle and Garcia were giggling as they took pictures.

Hotch came up beside spencer. He looked proudly over at his baby boy and then at Reid. "I think Haley has plans to kidnap your sister. She's completely in love."

"She's not the only one. I had to tell Garcia that under no circumstance is she allowed to buy anymore presents for Liza for Christmas. I actually had to be kind of mean about it."

Hotch laughed and slapped Reid on the shoulder.

"Congratulations on Jack." Reid said quietly. Hotch thanked him as he watched his son with a smile on his face.

They stood in silence for a moment watching Haley show Eliza how to support Jacks head. Reid glanced at Hotch and the words were coming out before he could stop them.

"Hotch, I know your life is on its side right now with a new baby, but I have something personal that I've been meaning to ask you."

Aaron Hotchner looked at him with his eyebrows raised.

Spencer took a deep breath. No going back now. "This job is incredibly risky. The chance of any one of us going out into the field and not coming back something that is a constant threat."

He took another deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. "If something happens to me, Eliza has no one. She would become a ward of the state. I know the stories, the statistics. That kind of life is the last thing I want for her. It's probably my greatest fear.

"I was wondering... and I understand if you can't give me an answer right now. But I was wondering if you and Haley would be willing to take her, be her guardians if something were to happen to me?"

There was a surprised silence. Hotch's eyes were wide and his face held an expression that Spencer had never seen on his face before. As the silence stretched Reid felt his stomach turn unpleasantly. "If you feel you can't, believe me, I completely understand. You don't have to feel obligated-"

Hotch cut him off mid nervous ramble. "You - you, want me- me and Haley? You trust us that much?" There was an emotion behind his words that Reid was having trouble naming. Maybe gratitude?

He nodded. "God willing, hopefully it's something we never have to worry about, but just in case." He looked Hotch in the eye "There isn't anyone I would trust more."

Hotch visibly swallowed. He looked over to his wife and son and Spencer's little sister again. They had pulled off one of Jack's baby booties and were counting his toes. Then slowly he nodded.

"I'll have to talk to Haley."

"Of course. I would never expect anything less."

He looked at his youngest, and most innocent agent. In some ways, despite his age and his innocence, Spencer was more grounded than some of the others on the team. He had been surprised what he had learned from the young profiler in the last year, and not just in facts and statistics. He knew that Eliza was the most precious thing in Reid's life, for him to ask this of him... Aaron had never felt so honored and flattered. Especially with all of his own insecurities about being a father.

"But, I want you to know, that I'm honored. Really" he tried to clear the emotion from his throat. "I'll talk to Haley at some point over the holiday break."

"No rush." Reid quickly said. "I just... I worry sometimes."

Hotch looked at Jack, and nodded. "Believe me, I understand."

They stood in mutual silence for a moment. Hotch trying to regain composure over his emotions and Reid reveling in the relief he felt at getting this conversation over with. Hotch reached over and grasped Reid's shoulder as he cleared his throat emotionally.

Then they headed over towards the group. Liza looked up from Jack and excitedly giggled "look Spence! Isn't he so so cute!"

She passed the baby back to his mom, who then in turn quickly handed him to Spencer before he could protest. Quickly adjusting his arms he smiled down at the infant. Privately remembering when Eliza had been that small. He looked up after a moment just in time to see Haley straighten the sparkly green bow in Eliza's hair. And instinctively he knew what Haley's answer would be. A feeling of warmth and calm washed over him.

Morgan came up to the group making some comment about the Reid's hogging the baby, and there was a round of laughter as he passed the infant to Morgan. For the first time in his life that he could remember, spencer felt whole and accepted. He watched as Liza gently brushed her fingers over baby Jacks downy soft hair and smiled over at her brother as Morgan made another joke. The anxiety and fear that had dominated his life since the age of 10 slowly released, he felt at peace, And he knew that the two of them would be just fine.


End file.
